About
Unitarian Universalists
Unitarians
and Universalists have traditions hundreds of years old. The name
Unitarian originally came from the belief in the "unity"
of God rather than a Trinity. The name Universalism originated with
the belief in "universal" salvation, the idea that everyone
will be saved and no one is eternally damned. Unitarians and Universalists
merged in 1961. Contemporary Unitarian Universalism has no creed
and is an alternative to creed-based religions. The most fundamental
of its principles is individual freedom of religious belief.
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Sermon
Topics
The
Rev. Dr. Calen Rayne presents interactive worship services, including
“old Time Buddhist Gospel Hour,” for Unitarian Universalist
congregations of all sizes, weaving teachings from ancient teachings
with common sense answers and approaches to some of the more profound
questions raised by our rapidly changing society. Rev. Dr. Rayne
is a member of the UU Society of Community Ministries.
With his Pentecostal/Southern Baptist roots,
Calen has developed a presentation that some have referred to as
"Evangelical UU." Worship services speak to our UU Principles
and topics suggested by the host congregation. Worship services
Calen has presented include water communion, Hiroshima observance,
Labor Day, Samhain, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day,
Kwanzaa, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, and Flower
Communion.
Recent sermon topics include:
"Dance
of the Rivers"... Buddhist teachings on compassion combined
with a reflection on our UU water service. As one congregant in
Tennessee once remarked, "this is not your Daddy's Buddhism."
"Circle
of Life, a Bon/Buddhist Perspective"... A discussion of mandalas
and their significance from the Bon and Buddhist traditions.
"Geometry
of Reverence"... Reflection on sacred geometry, the Druids
and the need for all faith traditions to embrace the concept of
reverence for each other.
"Gospel
According to John the Buddhist"... In the beginning was the
word, which transformed into both sound and light and compassion.
"Morning
with the Mystics"... Reflection on wisdom and compassion from
the viewpoint of our great mystics.
"Road
to Jerusalem: Jesus and the Labyrinth"... A service presented
for Easter on the labyrinth (referred to as a Road to Jerusalem)
and a resurrection of spirit. An 18 foot Chartres replica labyrinth
is set up to walk before and after the service.
"Oh
Mother, Where Art Thou"... A Mother's Day service weaving wisdom
teachings on the feminine face of the Divine with words of women
of country music.
"The
Empty Chair"... A service for Memorial Day making it possible
for congregants to bring the name of loved ones and historical figures
into the worship space.
"The
Music of What Happens"... A variation on our UU Flower Communion
service with elements of a memorial service.
"The
Sophia Shall Rise Again"... A message about our emerging wisdom
culture in light of the work of Dr. Paul Ray and Biblical teachings
on wisdom, including her proclamation in Proverbs 8:22, "The
Lord brought me forth as the first of his works."
“Reinvention of Work as Prayer”…
We look at work in light of our spiritual journeys. How can we turn
what we do to earn a living, our "work," into a "prayer?"
How can we best contribute to the "Great Work," that of
building a more compassionate world?
“A Community of Ministers”… We explore the concept of a community of ministers, a congregation where each person assumes a responsibility to minister to each other and our global community.
Most gospel hour services include 4-6 pieces of music, and the host
church is welcome and encouraged to provide singers for the presentation.
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Comments
from Participants
The
Reverend Doctor Calen Rayne has presented worship services in Vermont,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee,
South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida and Virginia.
Comments from some host churches are shared here.
UU Church Of Spartanburg, SC: “This note is simply to express our heartfelt appreciation for your wonderful sermon. As you expected, your message was received by many ears with different viewpoints. That was what we were both hoping to achieve. The many positive comments and phone calls to our worship committee chair indicate a need fulfilled. We thank you for this contribution to our growth. You made us proud to be a part of the Unitarian-Universalist family.”
UU Fellowship of Wilmington, NC: "Thank you
so much for your many contributions to our congregation. We have
had many positive comments about the activities on Saturday [Wisdom
Tabernacle], as well as the Sunday service. One woman told me
that the Saturday events were close to a life-changing experience
for her. One of the goals for our Sunday services is that they stimulate
us to think about how we are living our lives, and what strengths
we have to be more fully engaged in our process of this life journey.
Your service clearly met that goal. Jini and Calen, you are both
a delight, you have enriched our lives."
UU Fellowship of New Bern, NC: "Thank you
so much for your wonderful work. I don't think I've ever both laughed
and cried in one service. It truly struck a chord with everyone
I spoke with afterwards. Thanks again for adding so much energy
to our congregation!!
UU Congregation of Hillsborough, NC: "Thank
you for your interesting, inspiring service today. For those of
us who are already involved in one, or more, of the ancient religions,
it was delightful to hear your references to so many traditions.
For those less knowledgeable, it was an opportunity to learn about
the many opportunities in the universe. I've heard that several
did request more information at the "Celebrate the Circle"
Samhain
Ritual. And much of what you said tied in directly with the
Day of the Dead celebration I attended. All in all, it has been
a sacred spiritual day. We are grateful that you and your lovely
wife shared this morning with us."
Second Congregational Society, Unitarian Universalist, Concord,
NH: "I met Calen Rayne when I arrived as a settled
minister in Concord, New Hampshire and was delighted to discover
that he practices an eclectic form of American Buddhism strikingly
similar to my own practice. Calen is quintessentially American and
he integrates his delightful wit and innate wisdom in his exploration
of the ancient dharma. Calen’s approach to Buddhism is unconventional
and non-traditional borrowing from the best of several traditions
including but not limited to Japanese
Zen, Burmese
Theravada and Tibetan
Vajrayana. Calen shares my belief that Buddhism must become
“Americanized” if it is to become widely relevant to
American spiritual practice and exploration." …Marcel
P. Duhamel, minister
UU Church of Savannah, GA: "Calen has a gift
for integrating his vast Buddhist knowledge and experience into
the seven principles in a way that is entertaining, informative,
spiritual and highly accessible to the western mind as well as making
this ancient practice relevant to the modern world." …Joan
Kahn-Schneider, minister
UU Church at Washington’s Crossing, NJ: "Calen
has the wonderful ability to bring ancient Buddhist wisdom into
focus for contemporary westerners in an uncomplicated way. I have
seen him present his insights beautifully through a combination
of Contemplative Brush and haiku
poetry. Calen’s passion for the insights he has gained from
Eastern art forms and philosophy is clearly expressed in his presentations."
…Charles J. Stephens, minister
Professor of Buddhist Studies, University of Tennessee:
"Calen understands Buddhism with mind and heart, and
communicates well with Unitarian Universalists. Free of any kind
of orthodoxy or pedantry, he liberally uses poetry, imagination
and humor to get profound points across. The two services he created
for our Westside Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee
were filled with visuals, zingers and truths you could take home.
He delighted our congregation and opened up Buddhist truths to them
in an authentic way." …Miriam Levering, Ph.D.
First Universalist Church of New Madison, Ohio:
"The reports are coming and they all say that your introduction
to Buddhism was a most helpful and delightful service. Thank you
so very much for bringing to us this vital part of the religious
tradition we draw upon for our spiritual guidance." …Richard
Venus, minister
“This will simply say thank you so
very much for all you have done to make our wedding the spectacular
and memorable event it was. Your generous contributions of your
time and talents made the occasion a beautiful experience for all.
Your presence meant a lot to us.”
“Well, it’s been a month since
our wedding, and we are both still glowing from the wonder and beauty
of that day.” We are so grateful to you for all the time and
care you put into our ceremony—we continue to hear from guests
telling us it was one of the most touching and heartfelt ceremonies
they have witnessed. We quite agree!”
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What
We Believe
Unitarian
Universalists believe personal experience, conscience, and reason
should be the final authorities in religion. There is no creed with
which you must agree. Religious insight may come from a book, a
person, or an institution, but religious authority does not. Religious
authority is within ourselves. Religious insights are tested in
our individual hearts and minds. It is a free faith.
It is a liberal religion born of Jewish and Christian traditions,
but religious wisdom is ever changing. Human understanding of life
and death, the world and its mysteries, is never final. People should
think for themselves. We differ in opinions and lifestyles, and
those differences generally should be honored. Everyone has worth.
Ethical living is the supreme witness of religion. Our relationships
with one another, with diverse peoples, races, and nations, should
be governed by justice, equity, and compassion.
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The
Seven Principles
There
are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations
affirm and promote:
· The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
· Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
· Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual
growth in our congregations;
· A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
· The right of conscience and the use of the democratic
process within our congregations and in society at large;
· The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and
justice for all;
· Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of
which we are a part.
Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources:
· Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder,
affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit
and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
· Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge
us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion,
and the transforming power of love;
· Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in
our ethical and spiritual life;
· Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond
to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
· Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance
of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries
of the mind and spirit.
· Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which
celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in
harmony with the rhythms of nature.
These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious
community.
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Social
Justice
One
of our tradition's most inspiring figures, Theodore Parker, said
in a sermon, "The arc of the universe is long, but it bends
toward justice." Parker's words guide our feet, our words,
and our actions today as engaged and committed Unitarian Universalists
working for justice in our world.
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A History of Unitarian Universalism
Because
there have always been men and women who question the religion handed
them in childhood, a religion of the free mind, like today’s
Unitarian Universalism, was inevitable. If the specific events and
personalities that shaped this religious movement had never existed,
other religious liberals would have filled the vacuum. Though it
would be known by a different name, this religion of the free mind
would exist today.
Nevertheless, there are those illustrious personalities who forged
the way during difficult times. Struggling against ostracism, violence,
and even murder they moved through history down the separate paths
to Unitarianism and Universalism.
The Unitarian and Universalist movements both germinated in specific
religious issues. Both grew to encompass religious doubters of many
views, and both eventually welcomed to their ranks all thoughtful
men and women who would accept the right of others to have different
views.
Though Jesus had been dead several hundred years before the word
"Unitarian" came into use, the movement that eventually
acquired that label began shortly after his death. Then, many who
knew Jesus talked of his humanity and his teachings, while others
who had only heard of him touted his divinity and began to construct
a religion that was more about him than of him.
The issue that polarized the inheritors of these philosophical differences
was the doctrine of the Trinity, adopted in 325 AD by means more
political than religious. The Trinitarians, who believed in, "God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost," said that those
who stressed the unity of God (later known as Unitarians) were heretics.
Many of the Unitarians were executed for their beliefs. Best known
of these martyrs is Michael Sevetus, who was burned at the stake
in 1553 for writing "On the Errors of the Trinity."
More than a hundred years before the affirmation of the Trinity
the seeds of Universalism were being planted by the articulate and
prolific intellectual, Origen. Origen, who, like the Unitarians,
stressed the humanity of Jesus, produced the issue on which this
liberal religious movement would be built. He argued that there
was no hell and talked of a benevolent God who would offer salvation
to all people.
The same century that saw the Unitarian Servetus murdered also saw
Unitarian beliefs under a variety of names gain a tenuous foothold
in Switzerland, Britain, Hungary and Italy. This stubborn movement
produced its own dynamic ministers. Literature was distributed.
In many cases entire congregations broke away from the Orthodox
Church. In 1568 the first Unitarian church to use that name was
established in Transylvania, which had become fertile ground for
religious doubt eight years earlier under its Unitarian king Sigismund.
In the 17th and 18th century England, though anti-Trinitarians were
still outcasts, their numbers grew. Often they were men and women
who found their way into the history books for reasons other than
their religious activities. John Milton, Isaac Newton, John Locke,
and Florence Nightingale were all people who fought for religious
tolerance. By the first decade of the 19th century 20 Unitarian
churches had been established in England and many others had taken
on a Unitarian character.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Universalist view
also made great strides. In Germany many Universalist groups expanded
and further defined the Universalist doctrine. In 1759 in England
James Relly published "Union," which denied the Calvinistic
doctrine of salvation for the few and claimed that all would be
saved.
John Murray, a follower of Relly, helped deliver the Universalist
movement safely to the shores of America. In 1779 Murray occupied
the pulpit of the Independent Christian Church of Gloucester, Massachusetts,
which was the first organized Universalist church in America. Twenty-six
years later the movement’s greatest exponent, Hosea Ballou,
articulated Universalist doctrine in his book, "A Treatise
on Atonement," which sought to prove the doctrine of the trinity
was unscriptural, and argued against miracles and the view of men
and women as depraved creatures who would burn in hell.
One of those who carried the torch of Unitarianism to America was
Joseph Priestley, a Unitarian minister better known as the discoverer
of oxygen. After being harassed and nearly killed in England by
those of a less liberal bent, Priestley established the first openly
Unitarian church in America in Philadelphia in 1796. Soon many well-established
American churches acquired Unitarian ministers or Unitarian views.
By now the day was long gone when an aversion to Trinitarian doctrine
was sufficient to define these religious liberals. In Unitarianism
and Universalism virtually every aspect of religion was fair game
for doubt and debate. Many smaller liberal movements began, later
to be reabsorbed into the Unitarian Universalist movement as it
learned greater and greater tolerance.
In the 19th century both Unitarianism and Universalism took on an
association with the causes of social justice that has endured to
this day. Often led by women, like Julia Ward Howe, Susan B. Anthony
and Clara Barton, the liberal religious movement became the champion
of the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and penal reform.
Though these issues sometimes divided the religious liberals, the
gap was often greater between members of the same movement than
it was between Unitarians and Universalists. As the two movements
grew and acquired greater definition in the sermons of Ballou, Ralph
Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing, Theodore Parker and others,
the two paths of religious liberalism grew ever closer.
Both movements became more organized. In 1785 a Universalist convention
adopted a Charter of Compact which eventually evolved into the Universalist
Church of America. In May of 1825 the American Unitarian Association
was formed. In 1842 the first Unitarian church in Canada was founded
in Montreal.
The Unitarians and Universalists shared first a philosophy of religious
tolerance and religious questioning. Later they shared resources
such as religious education materials, a joint hymnal, and finally
on May 11, 1961 they combined their organizational strength by becoming
the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North
America. However, nothing stopped on that day. There are still questions
to be asked, views to be heard, a journey to be shared. The paths
have merged but the road goes on.
-
Gary Provost
Copyright 1992 Unitarian Universalist Association,
UUA Pamphlet Commission Publication #3005.
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For More Information
Send
mail to raynemakers@gmail.com
with questions or comments about Unitarian Universalist services.
For more information about Unitarian Universalists, click here to
access UUA.org.
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